Corfu Recipes - Sykomaida

This page gives you the opportunity to re-create some of your favourite Corfiot taverna recipes at home. This time, Sykomaida (or Sikopitta) which are figs and wine must, flavoured with aniseed, pepper and ouzo, and wrapped in fig leaves. Traditionally, they are are dried in the sun, but a slow oven works just as well. Sikomaida is sweet, but it's a fabulous meze with all kinds of spirits. It's almost impossible to eat a whole Sykomaida at one sitting, but they can be stored in the leaves or in a plastic bag, and will stay fresh and edible for up to a year. In Corfu you can still find them in a few greengrocer's.

Ingredients - 1 kg dried figs. 1 ltr mastic liqueur. I ltr ouzo. 1 cup grape must. 1 cup crushed walnuts. 1 bunch fresh fennel. 2 tbsp of freshly ground black pepper. 1 tbsp of aniseed. 1 tbsp of ground cloves. 1 tbsp of cinnamon. Fig leaves. String.

Instructions - With a large knife, chop the figs into small pieces. Sprinkle with a little ouzo and let them sit for 15 minutes to soften and become more malleable. Put the figs in a large bowl and knead until they become a smooth mixture. Add all the remaining ingredients: mastic liqueur, remaining ouzo, walnuts, fennel, pepper, aniseed, cloves, and cinnamon. Knead all the ingredients until well and evenly blended. Taste, and if too bitter, add a little sugar. When the mixture is well kneaded, form into balls the size of large flat meatballs (the traditional shape is round, however they can be made in almost any shape). Brush each ball with grape must to make it more flexible and shiny. Wrap each ball in fig leaves. Generally, one leaf on top and one on the bottom will be enough. Wrap edges of the leaves around the ball to cover, tie with string, knot, and cut off excess. Cook in a slow oven 120 - 125F (50C) for two hours.

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